Tithing

“Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the
portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged
in the law of the Lord.

“And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel
brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and
honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all
things brought they in abundantly.

“And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the
cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and
the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the Lord their
God, and laid them by heaps.

“In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and
finished them in the seventh month.

“And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they
blessed the Lord, and his people Israel.

“Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning
the heaps.

“And Azariah, the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him,
and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house
of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the
Lord hath blessed His people; and that which is left is this great
store.”

I have read this portion of Scripture, it having suggested itself to
my mind in view of our condition, and the circumstances which surround
us as a people. The law of tithing is of very ancient origin. How
early it was observed by the people of God is not clearly set forth in
the Scriptures, but we have an account of its observance as early as
the days of Abraham and Melchizedek. We have also, anterior to that,
an account given us in the Scriptures of the bringing forward of
offerings by Cain and Abel, one bringing the firstfruits of the
earth, and the other the firstfruits of his flocks, as offerings unto
the Lord their God. From the days of Abraham down to the days of Jesus
the law of tithing was observed by the people of God. It was made a
perpetual ordinance; in fact, the Lord promised unto Aaron and his
children that it should be an
ordinance forever. And there is
this remarkable fact connected with this law—whenever it was strictly
observed, the blessings of God rested upon the people, and when it was
neglected the anger of God was kindled against them; and a careful
perusal of the Bible reveals to us that neglect on the part of the
children of Israel to pay tithing was one of the most fruitful causes
of unbelief, darkness of mind, departure from the ways of God, and
falling into idolatrous practices.

I may be asked, why was this the case? Had the Lord need of the fruits
of the earth? Had he need of the cattle? Had he need of the firstborn
children? Had he need of a tenth of their gold and silver? Was there
any necessity for these things to be devoted to him because of any
want on his part? Of course not. The fruits of the earth are his, the
cattle on a thousand hills are his and the gold and silver are his, he
created them, and he can cover or uncover them at his will. The heaven
of heavens is his dwelling place, and he has no need of a temple built
with hands; yet in the economy of heaven, in the dealings of God with
his children, he reveals unto them laws, ordinances and institutions
which he requires them to observe, and which, when observed, bring
blessings, but a disregard of which brings down his anger and
indignation upon them. There is nothing plainer in Scripture than
this.

God commands his children to believe in him, and to render obedience
to his laws; he commands them to call upon his Son Jesus Christ, or
rather, to call upon him in the name of his Son Jesus Christ. He
commands them to pray unto him; he commands them to repent of their
sins and to be baptized for their remission, to have hands laid upon
them for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and to observe other
ordinances that he has revealed. What for? Does prayer to him advance
him? Does belief in him contribute particularly to his happiness? Does
repentance of sin on the part of the creature add anything
particularly to God's glory? Does baptism for the remission of sins
have any saving effect upon him? Does the laying on of hands for the
reception of the Holy Ghost have the effect to increase his light,
knowledge, wisdom or power? We all recognize the fact that these
commandments are given for man's benefit, to increase his happiness,
and to prepare him for salvation and exaltation in God's kingdom. So
also with the law of tithing: it does not, when obeyed by man, add to
God's comfort, contribute to his wealth, increase his happiness, or
furnish him with that of which he would be destitute if it were not
obeyed; but it is given to man and he is required to obey it that he
may receive the reward, and that be may acknowledge by this act—by
this payment of the tenth of his increase—that all he obtains is the
gift, and comes from the beneficent hand of God, and that he is
dependent upon God. Hence Abraham, after returning from the conquest
of the kings, when he was met by Melchizedek, paid to him the tithes
of all, acknowledging by this act the divinity of the law, and the
necessity of obedience thereunto. So strict was the Lord upon this
point in his dealings with the children of Israel in the wilderness,
that he gave very strict commandment unto Moses and Aaron, and to
those who presided over and officiated among the people that they were
to be very careful to collect, and the people were to be very careful
to pay their tithing.

One object of enforcing this law
among Israel in ancient days
was to sustain the service of the house of God. The tribe of Levi was
selected from amongst all the other tribes—as the Lord's peculiar
inheritance. In the division of the land of Canaan among the different
tribes, the tribe of Levi was left without an inheritance. The eleven
tribes had their portions of Canaan set apart to them under the
direction of the servant of God, but the tribe of Levi had no
inheritance given unto them. They were told by the Lord that they were
his inheritance, and that which they should have as an inheritance
should be the tenth of the product of all Israel: the tenth of the
labor, the tenth of the cattle, the tenth of the gold and silver, the
tenth of the fruits of the earth, and of everything that was produced
in the land. And so strict was this law, that when an animal passed
under the rod, to use the expression of Scripture, and thereby became
a proper animal to be devoted to the service of God, though it were a
choice animal, and one which the owner of it desired to retain, the
law provided that it could not be retained: it was devoted to the
Lord, and was holy on that account. And if the owner of it were to
substitute another animal instead of it, they both became holy unto
the Lord, and both became tithing animals and had to be dedicated unto
him, so strict was the Lord in enforcing this law of tithing upon
Israel. I often think of the practice which prevails among us in this
respect, how differently we act to what ancient Israel did, and how it
would pinch some of us if the law of tithing were enforced among us as
strictly as it was among them. Not only was this the law of tithing,
as I have rehearsed it, with regard to substitution; but if a man
wanted to redeem that which was devoted for tithing, a certain
valuation was put upon it, and in addition to this valuation a certain
sum of money had to be paid before it could be redeemed. In other
words tithing had to be paid in kind, and if a man wanted to redeem
his tithing he had to pay not only the money valuation of it, but an
additional sum besides, before the redemption could be effected.

You can readily see, with a little reflection, the object the Lord had
in being thus strict with his people: it was to prevent violations of
that law, and to enforce the strictness in observing it which was
necessary to secure the promised blessings.

I have said that a tenth of all the produce of Israel went to the
tribe of Levi; the Levites also had to pay a tenth of that which they
received, and that tenth was given to the priests, those who
ministered in the priesthood in the midst of the people, so that there
was in Israel a standing ministry—a tribe chosen from all the tribes
of Israel, whose office it was to minister in the things of God,
having been called specially by God to this service.

You doubtless recollect that the Lord also required his children—the
people of Israel—to set apart the firstborn male in every family to
be his. They had been redeemed in Egypt, or rather they had been saved
from the scourge which fell upon all the families of Egypt. When God
plead with Pharaoh, through Moses, to let the people go, destruction
fell on all the households of Egypt, the firstborn in every one being
slain. But among the children of Israel the firstborn were spared, and
the Lord claimed them as his; but it was inconvenient for them to be
used in the service of the Lord and he, therefore, after Israel had
left Egypt, commanded that all their firstborn should be numbered;
and after all of a cer-tain age had been numbered, he commanded
that the tribe of Levi should be numbered, and upon numbering them it
was found that the firstborn of Israel outnumbered the Levites by two
hundred and seventy-three, if I remember aright. The Lord had already
stated that it was his intention to take the tribe of Levi instead of
the firstborn of Israel, and when it was found that the firstborn
outnumbered the Levites by two hundred and seventy-three he commanded
that they should be redeemed, and that the redemption money should be
handed over to the tribe of Levi.

These were very singular laws and ordinances, but God had a design in
view in enforcing them. Everything he does is dictated by infinite
wisdom, and when the people strictly complied with these laws and
ordinances I have mentioned the Lord blessed them in all things, so
much so that it became a proverb in the midst of Israel—“Honor the
Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of thy increase: So
shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses burst forth
with new wine.” When the people honored the Lord with their substance
his blessings rested upon them and they were prospered. The palmer
worm, blight, grasshopper and other evils which afflicted the land
under some circumstances, were removed far from them. Their trees did
not cast their fruit untimely, and they produced in abundance, and
Israel prospered and waxed fat in the land. They spread abroad on the
right hand and on the left, and the land teemed with fertility. There
were times when Israel neglected this law, when they fell into
idolatry, became careless and indifferent concerning the requirements
of the Lord; when the tribe of Levi forsook the service of God and
became idolaters; when the priests quit the service of Jehovah, and
the temples became desecrated and filled with rubbish. It was during
one of these periods that Hezekiah came to the throne of his father
Ahaz, who had allowed the ordinances of God to fall into disuse. He
put aside the service of God and instituted in its stead idolatrous
service. Tithing had been neglected, and when Hezekiah came to the
throne, his heart being set in him to do right, he commenced to
cleanse the temple, and to restore the ordinances of the house of God,
and the ministers who had been set apart to this service he called
back to its performance, and the people brought in their cattle, wine,
oil, honey, and in fact a tithe of all their substance as well as
freewill offerings unto the Lord; and when the king looked upon it, we
are told, in the words which I have read, that he blessed the Lord and
his people Israel, and upon inquiry of the chief priest he was told
that, “since the people began to bring in the offerings into the house
of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty, for the
Lord hath blessed his people.” The Lord blessed them because they had
complied with his requirements, and they were prospered. The land
prospered under their cultivation, and it yielded its strength in
abundance.

In connection with this I would like to read to you, my brethren and
sisters, the remarks of Malachi. You are doubtless familiar with them,
but they are words which can be read and pondered on time and time
again, without any loss of interest in the subject. Says Malachi—

“Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine
ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return
unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have
we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

“Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole
nation.

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat
in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if
I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a
blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive them.

“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not
destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her
fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

“And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome
land, saith the Lord of hosts.”

We see here portrayed, in the most graphic and striking language, the
blessings that God promised unto his people Israel when they observed
this law, which he had given them in the beginning; and we can also
understand from the statements of Malachi, the curses that would
descend upon Israel if they did not observe this law. “Ye are cursed
with a curse,” says he, “for ye have robbed me, even this whole
people.” Strange language for God to use to his people, it may be
thought, that they should be accused of robbery, that he should look
upon them as thieves, as appropriating that which was not theirs,
because they did not render unto him that which he had commanded them.
They had refused their tithes, they had withheld their offerings, and
consequently they were cursed. “But,” says he, “bring in your tithes
into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house and prove me
now, herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the
windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not
be room enough to receive it,” etc. What great promises are herein
conveyed to God's people!

I have drawn your attention to this law, my brethren and sisters, to
show you what it was in the days of Israel, when God communicated his
mind and will unto His people. I wish to impress upon you this fact,
which you can all realize and understand for yourselves if you will
read, that when Israel served God, and were strict in observing this
law, he blessed and prospered them, and his favor was shown towards
them; but when they neglected this law, his anger and indignation were
kindled against them, and one of the most fruitful causes of disaster
to Israel was their neglect in this particular. There were two things
connected with Israel's disasters: one was neglecting to observe the
laws of God, prominent among which was the law of tithing; and the
other was their intermarriages with the heathen nations—those who were
idolaters. This proved the destruction of the wisest king that ever
reigned in Israel. It proved the destruction of the nation itself, for
it brought disaster and ruin upon it.

There is something connected with the law of tithing that, when men do
not have faith in God, appeals to their selfishness; and for a people
to be wholehearted in its observance, they need faith in God. When
Israel began to decline in faith in God, their selfishness increased,
and their determination became stronger and stronger to grasp
everything within their reach and to retain everything they gained
possession of; and as this feeling grew, tithing and freewill
offerings were withheld from the house of God, and in consequence
of this the blessing of God was also withheld. There is a
passage in the book of Amos on this subject, which shows the Lord
pleading with Israel, to bring them back to the consideration of this
law, as well as others that he had given them. The Lord says through
the Prophet Amos—

“And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet
three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and
caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon,
and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.

“So two or three cities wandered into one city, to drink water; but
they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the
Lord.

“I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and
your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the
palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the
Lord.”

These are the calamities which God sent upon Israel with the intention
to have them return to him; but notwithstanding they were poured out
and pestilence visited the land, the people hardened their hearts
against him, broke his laws and violated his ordinances, and his anger
was enkindled against them, and they were driven out from the face of
the land.

This law of tithing has been revealed to the Latter-day Saints. If I
remember aright, the last revelation in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, given as a revelation, is one in which this people are
commanded to observe this law of tithing forever. With the
restoration of the Gospel in its fullness and purity there has also
been restored this law, and I am thankful to God for its revelation. I
am thankful for the restoration of every principle of truth, of every
law that pertains unto salvation, for they are all for the benefit of
the human family; and as long as the Latter-day Saints have observed
this law they have been blessed; and we know by our own experience
with grasshoppers—the Lord's great army—how easily he could collect
his dues from ancient Israel if they robbed him by neglecting or
refusing to pay their tithes.

When men have come to this desert land and have seen the changes that
have been wrought in such a brief space of time, they have wondered
what has been the reason of it. The promise of God has been given to
this people as it was to ancient Israel upon this point, and when the
Latter-day Saints have observed the law of tithing they have been
favored of God, and his Spirit has rested upon them, and not only upon
them but also upon the land, and where it was once so barren,
unfruitful and forbidding that it looked as though no human being
could live by cultivating it, it has been converted into a fruitful
field. Men say, “What wonderful results water has produced!” “What a
great system this irrigation is which you practice!” True, it is a
wonderful system, it is productive of wonderful results; but to my way
of thinking, or according to my views, these results are due to the
blessing of God on the labors of the Latter-day Saints, because they
have honored him by observing the law of tithing. We have looked upon
this land as the Lord's, and have viewed ourselves as his tenants. He
could not come down here in person and receive from us the
firstfruits of the soil, or take our cattle, our gold and silver, or any of
our manufactures. Hence there must be somebody to do it for him. In
ancient days the children of Levi acted in this capacity: they
received the
tithes and offerings, but in these last days,
there being none of the descendents of Aaron that we know of in the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to act in this capacity,
we have been under the necessity of choosing other men to hold the
authority which his seed would hold if they were here in our midst,
and they have been set apart for the purpose of looking after temporal
things, and to take or collect the tithing, and see that it is
properly managed and appropriated to the uses for which it is
designed.

I know how quickly men, in looking at “Mormonism,” come to the
conclusion that it is a system by which a certain class will be
benefited and built up. I have heard men say that the “Mormon” Elders
had a pretty good thing of it; that Brigham Young, as President of the
Church, had a very nice arrangement, and that those who were leaders
in the Church had every reason for desiring to retain their position,
imagining, of course—though I do not know why such an imagination
should be prompted unless it was because they judged us as they judged
one another—that all the means that is devoted by the people for the
payment of tithing is appropriated by President Young and those
associated with him in conducting the affairs of the Church.

Now I would not, as a speculation, endure for one month, that which
President Young has to pass through—the care, responsibility, obloquy,
and the weight that rests upon him continually, for the sake of the
tithing alone, if I could have it all. He would not, no other man who
is connected with this people would. Why do they endure that which
they pass through? Because, by the revelations of God, they know that
God has established his Church once more in its fullness upon the
earth, because they know that angels have come from heaven to earth,
because they know that the holy priesthood has been again bestowed
upon man, with the authority to administer in the ordinances of God's
house, as in ancient days; and because this work is established by the
commandment of God, and they are called by his command to labor in
it. But there is one advantage which this unbelieving generation have
over those which have preceded us, and I think, in view of the
selfishness which prevails today in the midst of mankind, it is a
wise provision. If there had been a tribe set apart in this generation
to receive the tithing, I do not know but what the people, universally
almost, would have rebelled against it. If there had been a privileged
class to receive the tithing, the unbelief and selfishness of man
would have prompted them to find great fault with it. But there is
this peculiarity about the work in these days—not only do the people
pay their tithing, but the ministers of life and salvation pay
theirs—if they do not they should do, and I believe they do—as
punctually as the humblest member of the Church, from President Young
down—his Counselors, the Quorum of the Twelve, the Bishops of the
Church, every faithful man pays his tithing, the highest in the Church
as well as he whose name is scarcely known beyond the narrow circle in
which he moves; and, instead of the tithing going to sustain a class,
as it did in ancient days the tribe of Levi, or the priests, it goes
to build up the work of God—to erect temples and in various other
ways. Thousands and thousands of dollars have been spent in sustaining
the poor, and there is no class of men sustained in the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by the
tithing. There is
this difference between ministers in this Church and ministers in
other churches; ministers in this church have to labor for their own
support; but in other churches they are supported wholly by the
people. On this account—in Massachusetts, if I remember
aright—ministers are not allowed to be elected to the legislature;
they are regarded as men unfit for the practical duties of life. Men
who devote themselves exclusively to the service of their churches go
into their studies, read and fix up their sermons, and, on the Sabbath
day, they deliver their written, prepared discourses to their
congregations, and they are the most impractical men connected with
their churches. The ministry of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints is in direct and striking contrast with this. The
leaders of this Church are the most practical men in it. The President
of this Church is the most practical man connected with the body. His
Counselors, the Twelve Apostles and the leading Elders and Bishops are
all distinguished for being practical men—men perfectly capable of
doing everything connected with a life in these mountains—men who are
able to sustain themselves and to help to sustain others. Our theory
is that a man who cannot sustain himself and also teach others how to
sustain themselves is unfit for a leading position, and he becomes a
drone in the great hive. On that account we compel or require every
minister in this Church to sustain himself. Jesus said that he who is
greatest among you let him be the servant of all, and we have carried
this into effect—the servant of the whole people is the President of
the Church. The man who is the greatest servant in a settlement is the
President of the settlement, or the Bishop of a ward. He lives for the
people, his time is devoted to their service, looking after their
interests, that is, if he does right and magnifies his calling. Is
there a helpless man in a ward? He becomes the object of the Bishop's
solicitude and care. Is there a family in indigence? Then they are
the wards of the Bishop, and he looks after them, and visits them or
sees that his teachers do, and that their wants are supplied. By this
means the ministry in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
is an active one, carrying the blessings of spiritual and temporal
salvation into the midst of the people.

It has been by the labors of such men that this community has been
founded, and this once barren desert changed into a fruitful field and
made to blossom as the rose. Through the labors of the Apostles,
Elders and Bishops of this Church, settlements have been extended to
the remotest bounds of the Territory, north, south, east and west.
They have been the pioneers in all great labors, not saying to the
people, “Give us of your wealth and substance, we want to be sustained
in idleness, that we may rule over you;” but on the contrary they have
said, “Come, brethren, let us go and accomplish this labor that God
has laid upon us.” They have been the pioneers in all these
labors—these Apostles, Presidents, Bishops, Dignitaries, these men who
are supposed to fatten on the labors of the people. Instead of doing
that, they have been the creators of the wealth that the people now
enjoy; they have been the fathers of the people, the people have been
the objects of their paternal care from the beginning until today. I
would not give a fig for a leading man who would not act in this
capacity; he is worth nothing,
and deserves no place in the
midst of the people of God. Men to save their fellow men and to be
ministers of Jesus Christ must have the spirit of Jesus. His spirit
was one of self sacrifice, one that prompted him to go forth and save
the people, not to be a burden upon them, not to crush them. That is
priestcraft; and wherever that system prevails a system of despicable
priestcraft prevails, and God is angry with it and with those who
practice it.

I have said that I thank God for the revelation of this principle. I
do, for this reason—it appeals directly to man's selfishness. It makes
men sacrifice their selfish feelings, and causes them to show faith in
God. If a man has not faith in God he is not very likely to pay
tithing, or make many offerings. To use a common expression, he looks
after “number one,” and self-interest rules him. Such a man is an
unworthy member of the Church of Christ. But when every man pays his
tithing and witnesses unto God that that law is honorable in his
sight, what is the result? Is anybody impoverished by it? No. Are we
as Latter-day Saints any poorer because of the tithing we have paid?
Not one cent. When that tithing is properly appropriated it is
expended in works which add to the wealth of the entire community. It
contributes to the erection of public edifices; it adorns those
edifices, and creates a fund that is exclusively devoted to the work
of God, and that helps to build up and to make the community
prosperous and respectable in the earth. It is a mighty engine, or
would be if properly wielded, in establishing righteousness and truth
in the earth, for let me say, brethren and sisters, that a warfare has
been commenced in the earth, and it has been waged for a long series
of years, speaking according to the length of a man's life; and that
warfare or contest is for this earth, and it is between God and Satan.

Men wonder why it is that the “Mormon” community, with their good
qualities, their love of temperance and good order, and whose members
conduct themselves with such propriety, are so hated. It has been
frequently remarked to our Elders—“You are a pretty good man, I would
not take you to be a ‘Mormon,’ I would think you are a man of too much
intelligence to be a Latter-day Saint,” as though, to be a member of
this Church a man must be an ignoramus, stupid blockhead, knave or
fool in the estimation of those not of our faith. God has not chosen
that kind of a people, he has chosen intelligent people, and he will
give them greater intelligence. But, the reason we are hated is
this—and it is the same reason that Jesus and his Apostles were
hated—we have the truth, because we have received the revelations of
God, and because, in singleness of purpose, we are endeavoring to
build up the kingdom of God. Let any other people do what we have done
and they would be lauded to the skies. Let any other man do what our
leader has done and his fame, as a benefactor of his race, would be
worldwide. But our labors are only an additional reason for hating us
and for warring against us. It is, as I have said, because there is a
warfare in the world, and it will not end until God is victorious and
the earth is redeemed from sin.

I will revert now to the contrast there is between our desert land and
the lands from which we came. Our people were organized in the State
of New York—a most fruitful State. From New York they moved to Ohio,
another most fruitful State. From Ohio they moved to Missouri,
the garden, it might be said, of the United States; and from Missouri
to Illinois—all rich and productive States. What is the result of our
removals? We came to a land that was a barren, uninviting desert, and
what are the remarks of visitors who come here now from the lands we
formerly lived in? They wonder how it is that our fruit trees are so
healthy, and that our land is so inviting. I honestly believe, if the
people of the United States would observe this law of tithing,
devoting a tenth of their substance to the service of the Most High,
that instead of this land being in many respects so superior, the
fertility which formerly prevailed there would be restored. And when
the day shall come, as come it will, when we shall go back—and we
expect to go back to Jackson County, Missouri, and to lay the
foundation of a temple, and to build a great city to be called the
center stake of Zion, as much as we expect to see the sun rise
tomorrow; I say when that day shall come it will be found that that
country will have its old fertility restored, and that all the
lands that the people of God will occupy will be healthy and fruitful;
and the land of any people who will honor God by obeying this law of
tithing will be made fruitful to them, God will bless their industry,
and they will rejoice and prosper therein.

There are many things connected with this subject that might be
touched upon. One thing I will mention before I sit down, and that is
the growing tendency among this people to look after their own
interests and to neglect the interests of the work of God. This remark
has often been made to us: “When you Latter-day Saints increase in
wealth, are surrounded by the fashions of the world, and the waves of
civilization surge against your walls of barbarism, all your
peculiarities will recede and melt away, and you will become like
other people. Your plural system will disappear, for no man can
sustain half a dozen wives if they are fashionable women, and no more
than one.” I have heard this time and time again; and it is true that
young men in the east will not marry because of the expense, they do
not want to take a wife because they cannot sustain her according to
the requirements of modern society. Now, there is a good deal of truth
in this statement. If I thought we would become subject to the follies
that now prevail I would have fears concerning the work of God and its
perpetuity on the earth. If I thought that this people would lust
after wealth, and that they would allow their feelings and their
hearts to become set on the accumulation of money, and that they would
think more of that than they do of God and his work, I would fear for
its perpetuity. But God has said this work shall stand forever, and
that it shall not be given into the hands of another people, and on
that account I do not entertain any fears as to the result. But there
are individuals in this community who have given way to these feelings
about tithing. When men are poor, it is noticed that they are punctual
in paying it, but when they increase in wealth it is less so. For
instance, when a man has ten thousand dollars it looks a big pile to
give one thousand as tithing. If a man's tithing amounted to no more
than five, ten, twenty, or even a hundred dollars, says he, “I can
give that, but a thousand is a great amount,” and when called upon to
give a thousand, no, I will not say “called upon,” the difficulty is
we are not called upon enough, there has been neglect in calling upon
us; but when it comes
to this, why a thousand dollars looks
like a very large sum, and the party whose duty it is to pay it is apt
to hesitate and feel reluctance, and he perhaps says, “I can invest
this thousand dollars in such and such a way, and it will produce so
much interest, and I will pay it then;” and he allows himself to be
satisfied with this course.

There is this remarkable fact connected with tithing in our midst. You
are all familiar with the apostasy of some of our leading
merchants—men who dealt in merchandise and who, for years, by their
exorbitant prices literally fleeced the people of their means. This
was before the construction of the railroads. Well, it was predicted
years before, that sooner or later they would deny the faith and leave
the Church. It was easily understood that no man could remain in the
Church, if it was a pure Church, and practice a system of extortion on
his brethren, and the prediction was made, and strange as it may
seem—though it is not strange to those who understand the working of
these things—it was fulfilled to the very letter, and those men did
deny the faith, and they are now opponents of that work which they
once testified they knew to be true; and an examination of the tithing
records would show this remarkable fact—that some of them did not pay
their tithing as they should have done. Those who have prospered most
are they who paid their tithing honestly. And I have noticed it, as an
individual, that when men close up their hearts in this direction, and
neglect their tithing, and their offerings on fast days for the
benefit of the poor, they lose their faith. This is one evidence of
the loss of faith and confidence in the work.

I will tell you how I feel now, if I were to be tempted in this
direction, I would say, “Mr. Devil, I have no lot or part with you. I
will pay my tithing, and if you say anything I will double it.” I know
that there is a blessing attending this. I know God prospers those who
are strict and punctual in attending to this. I know he blesses those
who feed the poor, clothe the naked and attend to the wants of their
indigent brethren and sisters. I should deplore the increase of wealth
in our midst if it created class distinctions, if it should create a
feeling that, “I am better than thou, because I wear a finer coat,
dwell in a better house, ride in a finer carriage and have finer
horses, or because my children are better schooled and better dressed
than yours.” I should deplore the increase of wealth among us if such
results were witnessed. I should expect the anger of God would be
kindled against us, and that we should be scourged as a people until
we repented in deep humility before him.

God has bestowed upon us the earth and the elements in and around it,
and he has given us them for our good. There is no sin in taking the
wool from the sheep's back and spinning and manufacturing it into fine
broadcloth. There is no sin in planting mulberry trees and feeding
silkworms and making fine dresses and ribbons with the silk which they
produce. There is no sin in spinning the flax and making fine linen of
it. There is no sin in taking the dyes that abound in nature and dying
these silks and other fabrics in the most beautiful manner. There is
no sin in digging gold and ornamenting our service with it, and in
covering our tables in the Lord's house therewith. There is no sin in
taking silver and making furniture for the Lord's house. There is no
sin in making fine carriages, and in paint-ing and fitting them
up in the most exquisite manner. There is no sin in having a noble
race of horses, or a fine breed of cattle. There is no sin in building
houses and decorating them, having fine furniture, carpets, mirrors,
baths, heating apparatus and every appliance and convenience of modern
civilization therein. There is no sin in all this, or in any blessing
God has given us, but there is sin in abusing these things. There is
sin in being lifted up in pride because God has bestowed them upon us.
There is sin in thinking, “I am better than another man who is created
out of the dust of the earth, as I am; who is a child of God, as I am;
who came from God, as I did, and who will go to God as I hope to do.”
Brethren and sisters, there is no sin in having what I have named. We
may have fine houses, fine gardens or orchards, glorious temples, a
fine land, and we may make our homes heavenly places, and fit for
angels to visit, and there is nothing wrong in all this, neither in
adorning the bodies God has given unto us, if our hearts are humble
before him, and we glorify him in our lives. But this is the great
difficulty and has been from the beginning. When wealth multiplies the
people get lifted up in the pride of their hearts, and they look down
on their poor brethren and despise them, because they are better
educated, have better manners, and speak better language—in a word,
because they have advantages which their poor brethren and sisters
have not. There is sin in this, and God is angry with a people who
take this course. He wants us to be equal in earthly things, as we are
in heavenly. He wants no poor among his people; he does not want the
cry of the oppressed to ascend from the midst of the Latter-day
Saints, and God forbid that it ever should! God forbid that the cry of
any should ever ascend from the midst of the Latter-day Saints because
of oppression or because of the lack of any blessing necessary for
comfort! God wants us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and impart
our substance for their support. But he does not want the poor to envy
the rich. That is just as great a sin on their part as for the rich to
oppress them. They must not envy the rich; they must not look on their
brethren and sisters and envy them that which they have. That is
sinful, that is wrong, and the man or woman who indulges in it,
indulges in a wrong spirit. God wants us to build each other up in
righteousness. He wants us to love one another and to seek one
another's benefit. This is the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
He has revealed it unto us, and we must cultivate it.

I look upon this law of tithing as an equitable law: it comes alike
upon the rich and the poor. The poor person who pays his ten dollars
tithing gives as much in proportion as the richest man in the
community. The rich gives no more than a tenth, and the poorest gives
no less. We are all alike, then, in this respect when we observe this
law of tithing; and it should be strictly observed by us, if we want
the blessings of God to rest upon us.

I have thought, I do not know how truly, that of late there has been a
disposition among the Latter-day Saints to be penurious in this
respect. It has seemed to me that with the increase of God's blessings
around us, a disposition has been manifest to be stingy, to withhold
our substance, and to tie up the hands of those who have the great
work to perform. We want to build this temple, and other temples in other
parts of our land. We want to fill the land with
temples—houses that shall be dedicated to the Most High God. At the
present time people in St. George and other settlements in that
region—from 350 to 400 miles from this city who wish to be married
according to the order and ordinances that we believe in and view as
necessary, have to make this long journey one way, and the same the
other, making 700 or 800 miles travel, to have the ordinances of God's
house solemnized as we believe they ought to be. What a labor this is!
This has to be obviated.

We are building a temple in Salt Lake City; but this is only one.
There will be doubtless a temple built in St. George, and probably
others in the north, east, west, and throughout the land. Do you think
the tithing is all going to be spent in Salt Lake City? Do you think
that the remote settlements are all going to contribute of their
strength and their increase to build up this city alone? No, this
would not be right: this would be filling the heart and letting the
extremities suffer. The extremities must be sustained. Tithing must be
devoted to the building of temples and places of worship, so that the
Latter-day Saints in every section of the Territory may go and attend
to the ordinances for the living and the dead. We have a mighty work
to do in this connection. God has revealed this law, and, as I have
said, it is a law that works alike upon all. It is not oppressive on
any class, but it is distributed equally upon all classes. Let us
observe it, and all the laws of God, that we may become a blessed
people; that we may increase in wealth, and use that wealth to the
glory of God; that there may be neither pauperism, want, nor ignorance
throughout our entire land, and that the grateful prayers of a blessed
and happy people may ascend from every habitation throughout all these
valleys unto the Lord of hosts, praising his holy name for the
numerous blessings which he has bestowed upon us, for the peace, good
order, union and every other blessing we have received from him.